Dedicated to exposing the abuses of human rights, threats to the security of the free world, and attacks on general decency committed by Communist China, and to influencing policy in the free world to ensure these egregious acts do not go unopposed.

Ignorant Comment of the Weekend: The dubious honor goes to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband for his idiotic comments on the Olympics - ". . . if you care about human rights in China, the last thing you want is to have the Olympic games spoilt or broken" (BBC). Jim Hage (Washington Post) comes a close second.

More on the Communist Olympiad: Miliband does not speak for the rest of Europe, as UlfGartzke notes (Weekly Standard Blog). A possible partial American boycott is discussed (Boycott 2008). Meanwhile, the Olympic torch reaches Beijing (BBC and the Washington Post).

Pro-Communist rally in Toronto gets nasty: Americans see this all the time - a "peaceful" rally turns hateful and ugly just because the opposing side dared show up to counter-protest. The pro-Communist Chinese in Canada have quickly learned all the wrong lessons from down here (Epoch Times).

More on Canada and Communist China: Geoffry York (Globe and Mail) examines Canadian magnates who are looking for blood money in Tibet. Ivan Morgan (Newfoundland Independent via Boycott 2008) calls for a threat to stay home from the Beijing Games, at the least. Makina at Boycott 2008 excerpts some Globe and Mail stories on how average Canadians "upstaged Beijing." Finally, the family of HuseyinCelil try to determine his whereabouts within the Communist prison system (CBC via UAA).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: The cadres dig their meathooks deeper in to thr American trucking market (World Net Daily). New Zealand may be about to sign a tread agreement with Communist China (Epoch Times), but that's not helping wins over many Kiwis to the Communist Olympiad (Boycott 2008). Finally, the long arm of lawlessness reaches Australia (Between Heaven and Earth and the Epoch Times) and Malaysia (BH&E and the Epoch Times).

Friday, March 28, 2008

Witness says Communist cop disguised as Tibetan started riot: An anonymous witness told the Tibetan Government in exile that one of the "Tibetan rioters" was in fact a Communist policeman (Epoch Times):

A Chinese woman from Thailand (who prefers that her name not be used) was studying in Lhasa when the protests broke out in March. As one of her friends is a policeman, she visited him at the local police station quite often and got to know other policemen there.

After the protests on March 14, she and other foreigners were sent to the police station where she saw a man with a knife in his hand walking in with some arrested Tibetans. The man later took off the Tibetan-style clothes and put on a police uniform.

This woman was sent out of Lhasa with other foreigners the next day. When she arrived in India via Nepal, she recognized the policeman she had seen in Tibetan garb from BBC TV news and photos that the Chinese embassy had provided to the media.

NgawangNyendra said the witness was shocked when she saw the policeman in the BBC broadcast. She realized then that the man had disguised himself as a Tibetan in order to incite people to riot.

This isn't the first piece of evidence revealing Communist instigation of violence in Tibet; it is, however, the first time (I think) that we have an eyewitness to the cadres' actual role in all of this. Another Epoch Timespieceexaminesthe way Communist media handled the "riot," and finds compelling evidence of Communist orchestration - including the fact that thousands of Communist police were already at the scene the day before the "riots" began.

Canada rips "military crackdown" in Tibet: Canada's Minister for Democratic Reform (who also serves as House Leader - their version of a legislative Majority Leader) openly supported "the people of Tibet" and became one of the few elected officials on the planet outside Taiwan to call the Communist action a "military crackdown" (Globe and Mail). Meanwhile, Canadian blogger Ezra Levant took aim at the Communist regime's "ventriloquist puppets" in Canada.More on Tibet: Communist China invited diplomats into the occupied nation to examine its handiwork (BBC). Joseph Klein (Front Page Magazine) focuses on lack of action at the UN. San Diegans stand with the Tibetan people (Epoch Times). Andrew Martin Fischer details the history of Communist China's occupation (Far Eastern Economic Review). TseringWoeser (via Epoch Times) provides a running account of the last two weeks in Tibet. Tibetan teenagers protest the mass arrest by the cadre-friendly Nepal government (BBC).

Calls for Boycotting the Olympics continue to come in: Jason Lee Steorts (NRO) calls for the free world to stay home, while the editors at the Canadian National Postleave the option open (h/t Boycott 2008). Naturally, the cadres are not happy (Washington Post). Meanwhile, Congressman Frank Wolf (one of our favorites), moves to defund any political junket that would include the Communist Olympiad (Below the Beltway). Czech President Vaclav Klaus will skip the opening ceremony (ABC). Meanwhile, the IOC begs the cadres not to force the Olympics to tape delay (Financial Times, UK).

U.S. officials count 1,400 Communist missiles pointed at Taiwan: The unnamed officials based their calculation on new "intelligence assessments" (Washington Times). The number is even higher than outgoing Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's estimate of 1,328.Australian Foreign Minister insists his government is tough on Communist China, all evidence to the contrary, including the minister's own words on the Olympics (AAP via Epoch Times).

Hong Kong bans Falun Gong practitioners from entering the city: The latest example of one country, one-and-a-half systems, was noted by the HK Standard(h/t Between Heaven and Earth).

News on "another Chinese province" (Stalinist North Korea): It was a busy day for Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il, with a missile test (BBC and CNN) and anti-American screed (CNN).

Thursday, March 27, 2008

New report says Communists started the violence in Tibet: Gordon Thomas, citing sources with the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), says that members of the Communist military force, "posing as monks, triggered the riots that have left hundreds of Tibetans dead or injured" (G2 Bulletin via Epoch Times) in a move "deliberately calculated by the Beijing leadership to provide an excuse to stamp out the simmering unrest in the region." Meanwhile, several monks messed up the Communists' scripted press conference in Lhassa (BBC, CNN, and NRO - Media Blog); more Chinese intellectuals took the CCP to task for its brutality in Tibet (Epoch Times); and the Associated Press shamed itself (NRO - Media Blog).

Communist Ambassador to Canada blasts Dalai Lama - and uses Nazi propaganda for evidence: In one of the more embarassing moments in diplomatic history, Lu Shumin - Communist China's Ambassador to the United States, cited Nazi propaganda as evidence that Tibet was a violent and backward place before the cadres "liberated" it in 1950 (CBC and CTV). The farce had no real effect on Canadian public opinion (Embassy), but Communist Chinese media - aired in Canada by Rogers - amplified the nonsense (Epoch Times).

East Turkestan Uighurs also suffer under Communist China's thumb: Rebiya Kadeer discussed the plight of her people to the Toronto Star.

News on "another Chinese province" (North Korea): South Korea demanded the Stalinists come clean about their nuclear weapons program (Washington Times); the cadres responded by kicking South Koreans out of Kaesong (BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post). Meanwhile, Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il is blaming his intransigence on his military (and sadly, the Washington Post fell for it). Finally, One Free Korea comments on Kim's latest money-making scheme: "converting part of its embassy in Berlin into a (hotel)."

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Polish PM to skip Olympic Opening; French President may join him: Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, announced that he would not attend the opening ceremonies to the Communist Olympiad (Phayul). He may not be alone - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has left the door open to a similar snub due to the continuing bloodshed in Tibet (BBC, Below the Beltway, and Times of London).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Step forward, editors of the Washington Post, for your terrific column on what the Beijing Olympics has not delivered: "it looks increasingly likely that the Olympics will serve to remind the world not of China's emerging greatness but of its continuing denial of freedom to its citizens, its repression of minorities and its amoral alliances with rogue states" (emphasis added). Honorable mention goes to Guy Walters of the British Daily Mail (courtesy CFBA member Makina of Boycott 2008).Other Olympics news: Australia insists that the People's Liberation Army will not set foot on Aussie soil, Olympic torch or no Olympic torch (AAP via Epoch Times).

More Tibet news and commentary: Communist China claims that hundreds of Tibetans have given themselves up to police (BBC and the Washington Post). Nepal gets in the repression act (Fox News). A leading cadre calls for more "patriotic education" in Tibet (Washington Post). France's Foreign Minister praises the Dalai Lama (Newsmax) as does Richard Gwyn of the Toronto Star.

Whoops! U.S. ships nuclear triggers to Taiwan by mistake: Naturally, Communist China was not happy with this snfau (CNN and Washington Post);then again, as Below the Beltway notes, that alone means this wasn't a complete disaster.

More on Taiwan: William R. Hawkins, of the U.S. Business and Industrial Council, calls for the U.S. to be a better friend and ally to Taiwan in Front Page Magazine.On the state of the workers in the workers' state: Dangerous coal-mines which had been shut down for safety reasons are up and running again (Radio Free Asia viaEpoch Times), while the water situation is so bad the cadres are actually going to the UN for help (Epoch Times).

Winds of change blowing in South Korea? Newly inaugrated President Lee Myung-bak publicly called on the Stalinist North to send home abductees from the South (One Free Korea), and for the first time in years, the democratic South "is set to vote for a draft UN resolution expressing deep concern over the rights violations in the North" (BBC). Even South Korea's Human Rights Commission is promsing to take a serious look at the Stalinist regime's abuses (OFK).

More news on "another Chinese province": The food situation in northern Korea is now so bad that "even in Pyongyang," theere is no food, "except for the city center, where they have been reduced to 40% or less of the normal ration" - according to sources who talked to OFK.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Death toll in Tibet passes 100: The Tibetan government in exile has put the number killed by the Communists at roughly 140 (CNN). The cadres, meanwhile, are insisting its less than 20, and actually claiming most were "ethnic Han Chinese targeted by rampaging Tibetans" (same link) - Stephen Gregory, of the Epoch Times, put that nonsense to rest. The cadres also went after Western media (BBC) and Speaker Pelosi (One Free Korea).

Then again, do the Communists really have a choice? As LiuBinyan noted (h/t Jennifer Chou at the Weekly Standard Blog): "Nationalism and Han chauvinism are now the only effective instruments in the ideological arsenal of the Chinese Communist Party." Meanwhile, Tibetans in India talk about their predicament to the Washington Post, and Dennis Prager wonders why Tibet doesn't get nearly as much attention as Palestine (World Net Daily).

Steve Janke calls for an Olympic Boycott: I particularly liked the biting pun he used- "Now is the time to strike and strike hard" (emphasis added).

More on Communist Olympiad: Anne Applebaum scores Enlightened Comment of the Day honors with a concise, point-by-point, and wonderfully written takedown of the nonsensical arguments in favor of the Beijing Games:

No one involved in the preparations for this year's Olympics really believes that this is "only about the athletes," or that the Beijing Games will be an innocent display of sporting prowess, or that they bear no relation to Chinese politics. I don't see why the rest of us should believe those things, either.

Meanwhile, Yang Chunlin, who "dared to claim that human rights were more important than the Olympic games" (Boycott 2008), was sent to prison for five years. Jaime FlorCruz (CNN) examines the cadres larger exposure problems as the Games near.

Cadres lift block on BBC English, but "the firewall remains in place for Chinese language services on the website and for any links in Chinese" - which tells me this move was more for foreign consumption.

Communist spy sentenced to 24+ years in prison: Chi Mak, the Communistspybustedtwoyears ago, will spend more than two dozen years in jail for "conspiring to export sensitive US defence technology to China" (BBC). Federal District Court Judge Cormac Carney explained his decision thusly (Bill Gertz - Washington Times): "A high-end . . . sentence will provide a strong deterrent to the [People's Republic of China] not to send its agents here to steal American military secrets." Nice to see somone is trying to send Beijing a message.

On the Taiwanese President-elect: Don Feder is quite sanguine about Ma Ying-jeou (Washington Times), while the Washington Post editors believe it is HuJintao who is now on the hot seat (I hope they're right; I fear they're wrong).

News on "another Chinese province" (Stalinist North Korea): One Free Korea has two examples of the continuing decay of the Kim Jong-il regime - one symbolic (the apparent end of annual Kim Il-sung celebrations), the other very, very real (reports of food protests).

Monday, March 24, 2008

Tibetan "violence" exposed as a Communist plot: Communist China is insisting that they are fighting a violent riot in occupied Tibet. That caught the attention of Ruan Ming, former speechwriter to the late Party boss Hu Yaobang, who explained how the cadres staged the event (Epoch Times):

"The demonstration on March 10 was meant to be peaceful. You can see from the pictures that the demonstration was all monks," Ruan explained.

"The CCP arrested some of these monks and killed them. The killing angered some young Tibetans. By March 14, the Tibetans could no longer stand the killing of innocent monks and protested."

From that provocation came all the claims of "violence in Tibet."

Ruan also believes this was part of a plot to influence the Dalai Lama to resign (which he threatened to do last week), in order to move him out of public view. Meanwhile, the cadres kept up the charade with a list of "most wanted" (BBC and CTV), and labelled the Dalai Lama a terrorist to boot (Times of London). Sadly, the combination of Communist propaganda (Epoch Times) and a refusal to let anyone outside the regime report the truth (Epoch Timesand NRO - Media Blog) has combined to give the Chinese people a badly distorted picture (Washington Post).

Yet not everyone is swallowing the propaganda. Several intellectuals - including one under house arrest in Beijing - "appealed to the Chinese government Saturday to admit that its policy of crushing dissent in Tibet and blaming the ensuing violence on the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was failing" (Washington Post).

Persecutor-in-chief for East Turkestan is also in charge of Tibet suppression: Michael Sheridan has the scoop in the Times of London, which includes how the Party has decided to wipe out native cultures in the occupied nations with massive ethnic Chinese migration. AbrahmLustgarten has more on that subject in the Washington Post.More on the Tibetan crackdown: More Westerners are calling for the Communists to let the truth come out in Tibet, including the German Foreign Minister (Washington Post), several Canadian MPs (Epoch Times), and thousands of Britons (BBC). A monk in Gansu talks to the BBC. The Epoch Times has the latest from Lhasa. The Communists are also using the long arm of lawlessness to take down pro-Tibetan websites (Washington Times).

Amidst the blood in Tibet; boycott talk hits the Olympics: The president of the European Union called upon EU member nations to consider staying away from the Communist Olympiad if the crackdown in Tibet continues (CNN). At least one on-line poll shows that Canadians agree (Bourque), and Lorne Gunter of the Edmonton Journal certainly does, but few others are rising to the challenge, for now (Chicago Tribune via Detroit Free-Press).Meanwhile, the Olympic Torch route began with a protest (BBC and CNN); sponsors of the Communist Olympiad are facing more pointed questions (Washington Post); and the cadres are even considering forcing the Olympic to tape-delay to prevent damaging footage (MSNBC).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Robert Kagan(Washington Post) and Matthew Continetti(Weekly Standard) each have terrific pieces on what the Tibetan crackdown has revealed about the Chinese Communist Party. But for the other, both would have won easily. As it is, it's Continetti by a nose.

Ma Ying-jeou wins Taiwanese Presidency, calls for "peace treaty" with Communist China: The most acceptable face of the Kuomintang Party overcame the party's terrible recent history to score a landslide victory over Frank Hsieh, the candidate of the ruling and anti-Communist Democratic Progressives (CNN). Ma promised to "work towards a peace treaty with Beijing" (BBC), but "only if China removed missiles pointed at Taiwan" (although that wouldn't solve the issue of long-range missile from the heart of the mainland). Mroe troubling is his plan to "shelve" (Washington Post) the question of Taiwan's future and his apparent belief that HuJintao is as interested in peace as he is.

Communists step up the persecution of Falun Gong: Naturally, the "stability" and the "Safety of the Beijing Olympics" were the justification for the crackdown (Epoch Times).

Friday, March 21, 2008

For those who have kept an eye on this blog ever since I "went dark" back in June, your patience was rewarded, but I suppose some explanation as to why I have chosen to return to the News posts after swearing them off is in order.

First, it was the best way I had to stay up to date. As much as I appreciate the kind words of everyone who thanked me for the information, I was just as much a beneficiary as you were. The late Stephen Ambrose once wrote that the act of writing is the act of learning; I experienced that with every post (including the most recent one).

Secondly, I realized as time went on that posting was not as difficult as I had originally feared. It was the rest of what I usually did (speeches, meetings, etc.) that just took up way too much of my time and my family's time. I especially noticed this as I got more involved with my other blogs.

Finally, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could still do some good by spreading the word on the Communists and their nefarious, anti-American objectives.

Now, I doubt I'll be posting every day, but I can say that I will be posting "infinitely often" (to coin a phrase I learned in graduate school), with the "News of the . . ." format and all the information I can cram into them.

More on the Tibet (and parts of China proper) crackdown: The anti-Communist uprising spread beyond Tibet into provinces with large Tibetan populations (BBC, BBC again, BBC III, and the Washington Post).The Communists were quick to blame the Dalai Lama for all of it (BBC, Washington Post), but later put on the happy face and called for a "dialogue" (Washington Times). For his part, the Tibetan spiritual leader was deeply distressed by the bloodshed, to the point of threatening to resign (BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post). Meanwhile, the efforts of Tibetan groups who support complete independence (the Dalai Lama prefers autonomy) came to the fore (BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post), as Tibetan exiles united to stand with their persecuted brethren (BBC-1, BBC-2, EpochTimes, and the Washington Post). A number of American politicians condemned the Communists, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (BBC and CNN) and Republican Presidential nominee John McCain (Washington Post); President Bush chose to use "private messages" (Washington Post). Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Globe and Mail), American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Washington Times), and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (BBC) also weighed in. In Britain, the Prime Minister addressed the issue (BBC), perhaps to take attention away from some strange comments praising Communist leader HuJintao (Iain Dale). The Prince of Wales is expect to meet the Dalai Lama (London Telegraph). India's Foreign Minister also spoke (BBC). The most vocal condemner of the Communists, however, was easily Taiwan's embattled anti-Communist Presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (BBC). Finally, Anne Applebaum (Washington Post), scored Enlightened Comment of the (consolidated almost) Year by noting how Communist China suddenly looks like all the other far-flung tyrannies that were "brought down by their subjects, undermined by their client states, overwhelmed by the national aspirations of small, subordinate countries."

Other Tibet news: Before the streets ran red with blood, the Communists played their usual games. There was pressure on others to marginalize the occupied nation - some of which worked (BBC), some of which didn't (BBC-1 and BBC-2) - plus the usual reports of arrests (BBC-1 and BBC-2), forced relocation (BBC), interference with the local religion (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, BBC-4, and BBC-5), and a ban on any foreign support (BBC).

Other Olympic News: The Communist Olympiad was running into trouble long before this month, including concerns about the water and air in the Beijing area (BBC, CNA via Epoch Times, NRO- Media blog, and theWashingtonPost), let alone the food (Washington Post). Of course, the Communists' brutal treatment of the Chinese people - and concern over whether rewarding the regime with an Olympiad - was highlighted (EpochTimes, more EpochTimes, Hambastegi viaEpoch Times, Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times, Reporters Without Borders via Epoch Times, and the WashingtonPost). Meanwhile, opposition to the regime's support for the brutal Sudanese regime (BBC and NRO) led former Olympian Richard Vaughan (BBC), Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell (BBC), Olympic film director Daryl Goodrich (BBC), and George Clooney (BBC) to speak out. Stephen Spielberg simply walked away from the Communist Olympiad, earning him the wrath of the regime (BBC, NRO- Media Blog, and the Washington Post). Undeterred, the Communists even ensured the Olympic Torch would visit their Korean colony (BBC).

Speaking of Communist China and terrorist regimes, the Communist regime's support for the butchers of Darfur continues to grow (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, NRO- The Tank), while the rebel forces (for obvious reasons) don't want the Communists anywhere near them (BBC-1 and BBC-2). For good measure, the regime stuck its neck out for the Iranian mullahcracy, too (BBC).Communist Chinese arms in Taliban hands: The American and British military has found "Chinese arms" with Taliban members after they have attacked said militaries (BBC). Sadly, this hasn't stopped either Afghanistan (BBC) or Iraq (NRO - The Corner) from treating the Communist regime like a normal government.Communist Chinese espionage is the "single greatest risk" to American technology: The cited words came from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (BBC and NRO - The Tank), backed up by the arrest of two computer engineers "charged with conspiring to steal microchip designs to sell to the Chinese military" (BBC). Secretary of National Intelligence Michael McConnell gauged the Communist espionage efforts to be "close to Cold War levels" (BBC). The British MI-5 had an even broader warning for its countrymen (BBC). Less than three months later, a Defense Department official and two others were arrested for their role in a Communist spy ring stealing information about weapons sales to Taiwan (BBC, WashingtonPost, and the Washington Times). The FBI is also probing a Communist hacking operation (Washington Post).

More on Communist China and the U.S. (military issues): While the Communists' snubbing of the U.S. Navy got plenty of attention last November (BBC, China Confidential via Epoch Times,Epoch Times, NRO- The Tank), far less attention was paid to the much bigger story - another double-digit percentage increase in Communist China's military spending (BBC, EpochTimes, NRO, NRO - The Tank). Meanwhile, India, Japan, and Australia joined the American navy for a week of military exercises in the Bay of Bengal (BBC).More on Communist China and the U.S. (export product safety): The furor over tainted Communist exports, which was white-hot last June, has largely faded into the background for now, but not before leading American retailers pulled their Communist goods (BBC and BBC again). The scandal spread to food exports (NRO - Media Blog and The Corner). The Communists responded with a whole slew of "crackdowns" (BBC-1, BBC-2), a fit of pique (BBC), some more interference in American politics (Washington Post), and a hope that no one would hold it against their latest export effort in automobiles (BBC). Next thing you know, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finds that the Communists are exporting contaminated components of blood thinner (WashingtonPost).

More on Communist China and the U.S. (everything else): The State Department wins Ignorant Comment of the (consolidated almost) Year honors for taking Communist China off the list of worst human-rights abusers (BBC, NRO - Media Blog and Washington Post), as the regime agrees to hold a "dialogue" on human rights with Washington (WashingtonPost). CIA Director Michael Hayden had a mishmash of an analysis of the regime in the Washington Times. The Communists also try using the long arm of lawlessness to initimidate American officials (EpochTimes). The Communists' deliberately devalued currency continued to get bad press (NRO andWashington Post). Leading American anti-Communist Tom Lantos passed away (Washington Post). GM set up plans for Communist hybrid cars (BBC).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world (except Taiwan and East Turkestan): Apprehension is rife in New Zealand as the Kiwi government prepares to sign a free-trade deal with Communist China (EpochTimesand more EpochTimes). The long arm of lawlessness (see above) spreads to Israel (Epoch Times), Malaysia (Epoch Times), Canada (Epoch Times and Small Dead Animals), Denmark (BBC), Ukranie (Epoch Times) and everywhere else (Epoch Times). Australia's new Prime Minister is almost immediately criticized for being too friendly to the Communists (AAP via EpochTimes), who are making major inroads into the Australian economy (BBC and BBC again). The new leaders of both Britain (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, and NRO - Phi Beta Cons) and France (BBC and BBC again) are drinking the "engagement" Kool-Aid. The regime digs its meat-hooks deeper into Africa (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, BBC-4, BBC-5, BBC-6, BBC-7, BBC-8, BBC-9, BBC-10, and NRO -TheTank,), while the Bush Administration (BBC) and the World Bank (BBC) see no evil (UK Conservative leader David Cameron asked least tried to prod the Communists to stop the madness, although he should have known better - BBC). The cadres also cast their eyes on the Carribean (BBC), Kazakhstan (BBC-1 and BBC-2), and even Antarctica (BBC). India's Prime Minister visited Beijing (BBC), and his military conducted joint "anti-terrorism" operations with the PLA (try to avoid laughter - that's OK; I couldn't either: BBC). Japan's new Prime Minster has proven he is no Koizumi (BBC and BBC again). Fiat makes a deal with Chery (BBC). Russia and Communist China make a joint call for a space arms treaty (BBC), but Gazprom wants out of its gas contract to the Communists (BBC).

Taiwan election news: Until Tibet started bleeding, the opposition pan-red (errrr, "pan-blue") coalition candidate (the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou) seemed a sure winner (BBC). Now, Frank Hsieh, the candidate for the anti-Communist Democratic Progressive Party, has seized upon Tibet as a warning to the Taiwanese people (BBC) and "may now be in striking distance of an upset" (CNN). There will also be two referendum on applying to join the United Nations as "Taiwan" - which has the Communists and ther pan-blues spooked (BBC and Washington Post). FYI, yours truly emphatically endorses Hsieh in tomorrow's election.Other Taiwan news: After a military exercise last fall (BBC), the outgoing Chen Adminsitration bolstered its claim to the disputed Spratly Islands (Washington Post). Of course, the United Nations followed Communist China's lead last year and blocked Taiwan's admission (BBC and NRO - The Tank); not even the Olympic torch could be spared the Communists' wrath (BBC). Meanwhile, Malawi (BBC) and B&Q (BBC) follwed Costa Rica (BBC) in cutting off Taiwan in favor of Communist China. Peter Pham discussed the military balance between the Communists and the island democracy (The Tank). DavidFrum (NRO) examines Taiwanese history.East Turkestan news: Communist China made a dramatic claim of foiling two terrorist plots (BBC-1, BBC-2, WashingtonPost); Rebiya Kadeer isn't buying it (EpochTimes).Hong Kong and Macau news: The 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Communist China past last summer (BBC). The BBC talked to the last British leader of the city, and the one who brought it democracy, Chirs Patten (BBC). Meanwhile the Communist say the might allow the HK people to elect their leader - in 2017 (BBC). On Macau, the Communist-appointed leader was accused of still having a stake in the city's massive casino market (BBC).Communists meet in Beijing and give empty promises to fight mass corruption: Between now and last June, the CCP held its five-year Congress (BBC and EpochTimes) and the annual session of its rubber-stamp Parliament (BBC, Epoch Times, and Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times). The Party decided, first and foremost, that it would remain in charge ad infinitum (BBC). Thus, no one can challenge them for power, or the corruption that comes with it (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, BBC-4, Chengming via Epoch Times, Epoch Times, New Epoch Weekly). Lest anyone think that this corruption is new, Jung Chang revealed otherwise as she discussed her excellent biography of Mao (Epoch Times).

Many Chinese are considering life without the Communists: A three-part EpochTimespiece calls for members of the CCP to withdraw. One cadre does (Epoch Times), while a provincial official writes an open letter calling for the de-Communizing of China (EpochTimes).

Organ theft news: The Communists gave great fanfare to their new organ transplant rules (BBC). It should surprise no one to knnow they aren't following them (EpochTimesand IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics via Epoch Times).One-child policy to remain, but with nicer labels: The cadres decided that what was wrong with the one-chiolde policy wasn't the hideous treatment of women, the gender imbalance (NRO - Media Blog), or the resultant kidnapping of children (Washington Post). It was just the slogans they were using (BBC); so they will go, but the hideous policy remains in place (BBC).Religious persecution news: Communist China continues to make nice with the Roman Catholic Church (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, BBC-4, BBC-5, BBC-6, and the Washington Post, but for non-Catholic Christians (BBC, EpochTimes, and Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times) and Falun Gong (EpochTimesandmoreEpochTimes), it's business as usual.

Media crackdown news: Zhao Yan (of the New York Times) is free (BBC), as is Ching Cheong (BBC) and Yu Huafeng (Washington Post), but Lu Gengsong is serving a four year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" (NRO - Media Blog), and even arrested the BBC's Dan Griffiths. In fact, Communist China "tops the list of world's biggest jailer of journalists" (Media Blog). Meanwhile, a photographer is fired because a cadre didn't like a picture of hm (Epoch Times), editors marking the Tiananmen anniversary were sent packing (BBC), and the regime announced it was building a database on all foreign journalists headed to cover the Olympics (Media Blog).

Dissident news: Hu Jia is, as I write, on trial for "subversion" (Washington Post), while his wife and infant duaghter are under house arrest (BBC and NRO - Media Blog). Yang Chunlin will also be tried soon (Washington Post).The wife of Chen Guangcheng has been denied permission to leave the country (BBC). Several political opponents of the Communists were jailed (CNA via Epoch Times and EpochTimes). Ding Zilin makes another appeal on behalf of her follow relatives of Tiananmen massacre victims (Epoch Times). Attorney Zheng Enchong was "brutally beaten three times in two days" (Epoch Times). Another lawyer, Teng Bao, was arrested and held for two days before being released (Washington Post). Several dissidents who sued Yahoo for its role in helping the regime arrest them settled with the internet giant (BBC and Epoch Times).

Appellant (petitioner) news: All citizens of China have the right to redress of grievances against local officials. Of course, the Communists honor this right in name only. Actual petitioners - assuming the cadres can't prevent them from even reaching the capital (EpochTimes) - are ordered to leave town (BBC), arrested (EpochTimes), and beaten to death (Epoch TimesandNRO).

Protest news: The Communist regime continued to take use its monopoly on land to enrich itself at the expense of its people (BBC). The latest examples are in Sichuan (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times), Hainan (Epoch Times).

On the state of the workers in the workers' state: In a land where independent labor unions are illegal, workers end up getting stiffed (Epoch Times), killed by tear gas (Epoch Times), or beaten by Communist-hired thugs (BBC). In order to prevent such tragedies from happening again, the cadres are now demanding migrant workers "declare their political affiliations when registering for residency permits" (BBC), as if they don't have enough worries (BBC). Meanwhile, coal production and corruption still go hand in hand - killing workers in the process (Washington Post).

Other economic news: Communist China went to war against inflation (BBC) - including implementing prize freezes (BBC) and higher interst rates (BBC) - but inflation still won (BBC and the EpochTimes). Making matters worse, the Communist economy was actually 40% smaller than everyone thought it was (BBC) - which probably came as know surprise to the people actually suffering under it (BBC and the Epoch Times). The cadres did admit unemployment was a problem, FWIW (BBC), but the cadres themselves are still pulling in money from foreign fools (BBC), preparing to buy up the rest of the world (BBC and David Frum of NRO). and tightening their grip on the economy (BBC). Meanwhile, regime-owned PetroChina pased ExxonMobil and the largest company in the world (BBC).

Environmental news: Communist China continues to zoom past everyone else in carbon emissions (BBC) and pollution has rendered the water supply for another 200,000 people undrinkable (BBC), but when it comes to the environment and the Communists, one begins and ends with Three Gorges Dam (BBC-1, BBC-2, BBC-3, BBC-4, and Radio Free Asia via the Epoch Times).

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

From one perspective, the Communistcrackdown on Tibet couldn't come at a better time. The Olympics is still five months away - more than enough time, sadly, for people to forget what has happened this month. Furthermore, this could take a lot of steam out of the reaction to the 50th anniversary of the bloody March 1959 crackdown. From another angle, however, it couldn't have come at a worse time, because Taiwan will elect a new President on Saturday.

Up until last week, it was fairly certain who the President would be - former Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou. Ma is the nominee of the Kuomintang (Nationalist - KMT for short) party; the party which under Chiang Kai-Shek ran all of China, then retreated to Taiwan in 1949 and ruled until losing power in the election of 2000.

Older readers might remember the KMT as the leading anti-Communist force in East Asia, but that was a long time ago. During the 1990's, under President Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan transitioned to a democracy, and the Taiwanese people became more confident in themselves, their elected government (Lee stood for election in 1996 and won overwhelmingly), and their right to be treated as an independent nation.

Meanwhile, Communist China, sensing an opportunity in the increasingly homesick leadership of the KMT, began making overtures toward winning them over. The "one country, two systems" model for Hong Kong (which looked a lot better before it was implemented than it does eleven years on) was touted as a possible future for Taiwan - and many in the KMT started abandoning anti-Communism and supported reunification even under Communist rule.

Lee, however, did not, which set off a factional split in the KMT that allowed the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to win in 2000 under Chen Shui-bian. The split within the KMT was so bad that Lee quit the party and formed his own (the Taiwan Solidarity Union), which endorsed Chen for re-election (he won). Now, however, after eight years, Taiwanese voters seemed to be tired of the DPP, while the KMT nominated Ma - who has taken care to adopt anti-Communist rhetoric his entire career.

The DPP nominee (former Premier Frank Hsieh) had been unable to gain any traction, even as Ma proposed a "peace treaty" with the Communists. All the signs pointed to a KMT blowout - until Tibet started bleeding.

How worried was Ma? He uttered these words when asked about the possibility of the Communists doing the same to Taiwan: "Taiwan is not Tibet ... we are a sovereign country" (CNS News). To KMT supporters, those words are the sine qua non of political incorrectness. To top it off, Ma even talked about boycotting the Olympics this morning (Agence France Presse).

Will it be enough? It's hard to say. As I mentioned earlier, these aren't Ma's first anti-Communist statements. The concern was always whether or not the rest of the KMT would push him towards "reconciliation" - and that concern won't go away no matter what Ma says. Still, if Ma wins, he will not be able to run away from his anti-Communist rhetoric without suffering horrendous political consequences, if Taiwan still has the opportunity to deliver them.

Why do I say that? Three years ago an inside CCP source leaked that the Communist regime intends to conquer Taiwan by no later than 2012. This timeline is not dependent on Taiwanese policy, but rather the Communists' schedule for neutralizing dissidents. Of course, the Communists have repeatedly tired to cover their true face with their "peaceful rise" nonsense - nonsense has been literally shot away in Tibet.

What Tibet has revealed is the true nature of the Communist regime, which Taiwan's voters should not take lightly. I would humbly submit (since I'm American and not Taiwanese, it can be nothing but humbly), that the island democracy cannot risk Ma succumbing to the Communist-sympathizing elements of the KMT. It is far better to stick with the true anti-Communist coalition (DPP-TSU), and elect Frank Hsieh - which as Tibet continues to bleed - might just happen now.